The Hollow Men
by Rosette Leclair
Summary: Regulus Black: A man who died bravely, alone, without anyone ever knowing how brave he truly was. Could his life have gone differently? A look into his first train ride to Hogwarts, and a story of what could have been. One-shot.


**So, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction. Reviews would be much appreciated**.

"The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories that it has come to be disbelieved in."

It is said that the small things impact history the most.

How different would the world, the later war, have been if a certain boy dropped his wand just before boarding the Hogwarts Express in 1972? If he was delayed only for a moment, long enough for another child to break from the crowd in an attempt to board the train. Such an insignificant occurrence, which held within it the power to change all of history.

For at that moment, when the boy pocketed his wand and threw one last farewell glance to his mother, his gaze suddenly caught that of the girl who had, just at that moment, been boarding the train.

The girl broke the gaze almost immediately. She had felt nothing particularly special in that moment, and so had not spared the smallish boy a second glance. He was left staring after her, confused as to why he felt somehow connected to the girl. His stupor was broken only by a hardy slap on his back from his slightly older brother.

"Well come on then, mate. Up you go. We have to get you out of our dearest mother's sight. If she blows you one more kiss, Reggie, I swear I will barf."

"Don't call me that," the boy groused, distracted for a moment as he started to board the train. "And you should at least try to get along with her. Its unbearable at home with you two arguing all the time."

"Its not my fault she's completely barmy, Reggie."

"Sirius, please."

"Oh, all right. How's this?" He cleared his throat dramatically, and then adopted a ridiculously high and screechy voice in imitation of his mother.

"Death to Gryffindors! Death to muggles! Death to muggleborns! Although she wouldn't use so nice a word," the older boy added as an afterthought.

"You were using those very words not even a year ago," his brother muttered. Sirius blanched.

"Shut up," he growled. "I've changed. I'm not like that anymore. I am a proud Gryffindor."

'Reggie' rolled his eyes as his brother sauntered ahead of him. "Speaking of, you should at least try to be a Gryffindor too. That would be the very shock she needs to send her off the edge."

"Sirius-"

"Or a Ravenclaw. Or a Hufflepuff, even. That would do the trick. Anything but a slimy Slytherin. I'd hate to have to disown you."

"Sirius-"

"Ah, look! Here we are! My friends! I bet you missed me, hm?"

Sirius pulled open the door to a compartment containing three motley characters: a short, tubby boy with a feathery tuft of hair, a thin boy with fading scars and shadowed eyes, and an overly cheery boy with messy black hair and round glasses.

"Sirius, mate! Good to see you," said the bespectacled boy. "Glad to see your dear old snake of a mum didn't kill you in your sleep."  
"Yeah," Sirius agreed earnestly, settling down in the seat next to the pudgiest boy. "I'll have to stay with you some next holiday. This is little Reggie, by the way."

The other boys barely acknowledged him. "Sirius, there isn't any room," the boy continued pointedly, sending 'Reggie' a suspicious glance.

"Oh, uh, all right then. Sorry, Regulus," Sirius muttered sheepishly. Regulus stared at his brother in disbelief for a moment, and nodded sharply. Without another word, he headed off down the corridor.

"Stupid Sirius," he muttered. "'Oh, sorry Regulus. My friends are much more important than you. We're all happy, stupid Gryffindors. I would never dream of wanting to make mother or father proud or trying not to disgrace the entire family. My precious friends are much more important-'"

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Regulus tore his gaze away from his shuffling feet sharply. It was the girl.

She stood in the doorway of an empty compartment, her long blond curls pulled back into a ponytail and her green eyes sparkling. The corners of her mouth were quirked upwards in an attempt not to smile, and a silvery chain hung from her neck. Regulus could not tell what hung from it, as it was tucked safely into her shirt.

"No," Regulus snapped more forcefully than he thought he was capable of. The girl's smile faltered.

"Sorry to bother you, then. I was just going to say that there's room in this compartment-more than enough actually- if you can't find anywhere else to sit."

Regulus stood completely still for a moment before nodding his ascension and following the unnamed girl into the compartment.  
Other than them, it was completely empty.

"I boarded the train a little late," she explained. "I didn't want to intrude on anyone, so I jut found a compartment that no one had claimed yet. Not many people have boarded since, and they all had seats already saved by their friends. You seemed to be without a place to sit, so…"

She trailed off and reached for a book that had been lying beside her. She glanced sharply at Regulus.

"Sorry if I disturbed your…thoughts."

Regulus blushed and shrugged. "Thanks for the seat," he muttered.

The girl smiled and, without another word, opened the book and began to read.

"My name's Regulus, by the way. Regulus Black. You might've heard of my family."

The girl looked up again, and offered him that same, shy smile. "I'm sorry, I really haven't."

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "You're a mudblood?"

Remembering Sirius's lectures over the past summer, he snapped his mouth shut before anything else came out. His pale cheeks turned pink. The girl merely gave a small shrug, though her cheeks had turned red. When she spoke, she spoke rapidly and without taking a breath.

"I honestly don't know. I don't know my parents, but I was raised by muggles. Yes, I do know the terminology. I've been poring over Hogwarts: A History and A History of Magic since my very first trip into Diagon Alley. I also know that 'mudblood' is not a very nice word, whether I am one or not."

Regulus's cheeks burned. The girl did not seem too perturbed, though.

"My name is Johanna. I haven't really got a surname of my own, though."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"What?"

"Not knowing your blood status. Or-uh-who your parents are?"

Johanna reddened again. "Not really. I mean, it would b nice to have parents. I live in a house with eleven other girls. But it doesn't really affect who I am. Does blood status really matter that much?"

Regulus opened his mouth to say that yes, it did matter, but couldn't bring himself to answer her question. She looked genuinely concerned. Hus mother's rants and his father's dark words filled his mind, along with the suddenly tolerant views of his older brother. It mattered, didn't it?

Then, of course, he told himself, she was clearly well-educated in the wizarding world. She had already read Hogwarts: A History and A History of Magic, and probably others. She was intelligent. She must have pureblood lineage, despite her uncertainty. Right?  
"Have you ever had a chocolate frog?"

Regulus fumbled for a few sickles as the cart rolled by the compartment. Johanna stared at him for a moment, then decided to let the matter drop.

"I haven't."

"Some people collect the cards that come with it."

"Do you?"

Rgulus blushed. "No, my mother says that's for babies and poor people without better things to do."

Johanna took the proffered box that Regulus held out tentatively, the edges of her lips returning to their previous positions. Regulus felt a surge of warmth.

"Careful, it will hop away."

Johanna caught the frog quickly as soon as she opened the box and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.

"Well, what'd you get?"

"Salazar Slytherin."

"That's a good one. Pretty rare."

Johanna looked amused. "I thought you didn't collect them."

Regulus tried to shrug nonchalantly. "I might have a few stashed. Anyway, like I was saying, Slytherin's great. I'm probably going to be in his house."

"Really? You don't seem overly ambitious to me."

Regulus had a slight notion that he should have been offended, but he wasn't. Johanna, however, immediately seemed to sense some kind of blunder on her part.

"I didn't mean to say you weren't ambitious. You just don't seem mean, at all. You're really very sweet, actually. At least, that's my impression."

She finished abruptly and looked at her hands.

"And you seem overly nervous."

Johanna didn't even pause. "I am. I'm afraid that I won't do very well at Hogwarts, that I'll just embarrass myself. I hate being embarrassed more than anything."

Regulus grinned. "I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine."

"But what if I'm not? What if I'm not good enough?"

"You will be. I'm sure of it."

Johanna looked up. "Really?"

"Really."

The girl seemed to relax. "Why do you want to be in Slytherin, anyway? Not that there's anything wrong with the house. I'm just curious."

"My whole family's been in Slytherin. Well, except for my older brother. He's a Gryffindor. Mother was so upset when she found out. I just don't want to cause any unnecessary arguments, like he did constantly after he came home this summer. It was horrible. I'd rather just focus on making my parents happy and getting decent scores."

Johanna did not seem keen on pressing him. She simply gave a slight nod. "You have a brother?"

Regulus snorted. "Some brother. He'd much rather hang out with his new friends and get into trouble than talk to me at all. My mother just said he's acting like a typical Gryffindor. Sirius Black. Just wait, I'm sure you'll hear something about him before the year is out."

Just then, the door to their compartment slid open, and a very tall, very blonde boy poked his head in.

"Regulus," he said coolly. "I've been looking for you. I promised your mother I'd look out for you, keep you out of trouble."  
His gaze lingered on Johanna, though he didn't acknowledge her.

"She told me you wouldn't be too much trouble. She seems to be of the opinion that you are a very good, very obedient boy. Come now, I have some people I'd like to introduce you to, very close friends of the Black family. I wouldn't want you exposed to any detrimental influences. And I'm sure your brother would be of no help in those aspects."

The older boy withdrew from the compartment. Regulus glanced apologetically at Johanna, who was studying her hands without a word.

"Well, are you coming?"

Regulus nodded hastily and clambered out into the hall. "Sure, Lucius."

Before he was dragged away, Regulus gazed back at Johanna and whispered, so softly Lucius could not hear, "Sorry. Bye."

"Bye."

 **AN: Please** **review**. **It would mean the world to me, especially this week. I have my finals. I'm sure I'll do well on them, but two words (a word and two letters?): AP Physics. I'm doomed. Wish me luck.**  
 **Have a lovely week. : )**


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